Cable testers are used by technicians who install transmission cables in buildings. When a cable is installed, one end of the cable is typically in the work area (e.g. office cubicles), whereas the other end may be in a server room. To test the transmission cable, the transmission cable may be excited at one end by applying test signals through a main unit. These test signals are received at the other end by a remote unit and one or more measurements corresponding to the applied test signals are indicated on the main unit and the remote unit. Alternatively, the transmission cable may be excited by the remote unit and test signals may be received at the main unit.
The measurements of the tests may be indicated on the main unit as well as on the remote unit through one or more LEDs. However, a proper user interface is not present in the main unit and the remote unit in the existing cable testers. The main unit includes Graphical User Interface (GUI) elements such as a graphical display, a keyboard, and an interface for a storage device. The GUI is used to initiate a test and also to store measurements associated with the tests. However, the remote unit only has some buttons and LED indicators. As a result, detailed test results cannot be viewed from the remote unit, and test results cannot be stored and retrieved from the remote unit.
Thus, the overall process of testing a cable is controlled from the main unit. A technician using the main unit may, for example, select the tests to be performed, choose a file name where the test measurements are to be saved and may also be able to view past results of the measurements of the test being performed. However, due to the absence of a GUI on the remote unit, these operations cannot be performed at the remote unit. A technician using the remote unit may have to walk over to where the main unit is located and perform these operations at the main unit or rely on the technician operating at the main unit to control these aspects of testing.
Thus, there is a need for a method and system wherein, tests may be efficiently controlled both from the main unit as well as the remote unit.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the invention.